


I Don't Wear Gloves Anymore

by orphan_account



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Blood, Fighting, Gen, Sexual Harassment, Tears, angst crown, battle for the angst crown, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 08:15:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11505318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Suzy just wanted to walk home from the store. Where did it go wrong?





	I Don't Wear Gloves Anymore

**Author's Note:**

> This is my official entry for round two of @legendofgrump on tumblr's Battle for the Angst Crown. I hope you all enjoy it!!!!

The night was especially dark. The stars were stubbornly absent and the moon was on some kind of hiatus. Though this may have been due to the strange abundance of clouds in the L.A. sky tonight, it did nothing to soothe Suzy as she made her way home from the store. The air was cold, and she huddled closer to herself in her jacket, even going the extra step as to slip on those leather gloves Arin had insisted were useless since this city never dipped below fifty degrees.

The streetlights were new, and definitely helpful. Suzy remembered reading somewhere that there was a huge debate on putting streetlights down this little street at all, since barely anyone even went down here; and Suzy had to admit she found that ridiculous. Just because it wasn't a main street doesn't mean it was never used. Like right now. It was a shortcut to the way home, and she always used it, though, mostly only during the day. And even though she knew the street inside and out, she had to say, it was a little creepy in the dead of night. Not so much as a fluttering leaf disturbed the quiet, and Suzy wished that something would make a noise, just to make her feel, she didn't know...less alone?

She decided that she would dial Ross, who she was sure was awake at this time of night. She often scolded him for doing that, but she was a little relieved that she was friends with a nocturnal animal. Though, he was awake during the day too, so, when exactly did he sleep? Oh well.

Suzy reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone, ready to tell Ross, embarrassingly so, that she just needed someone to walk her through this one street, when she misjudged the friction that her gloves possessed. As soon as her phone was out of her pocket, it slipped out of her hands and clattered to the ground.

"Fuck," Suzy mumbled. She leaned down to pick up her phone, and just as she did, something out of the corner of her eye made her start. She stood, looking at two guys about fifty feet off, walking side by side. They too were in jackets, laughing with each other, having whatever kind of conversation between them. She wasn't sure if they could see her face, but she nodded in their direction anyway, sort of a hello, I'm acknowledging you. 

But then they slowed down. And one of them took his hand out of his pocket and raised his finger ever so slightly in her direction. The other looked at Suzy, then looked at his friend, and in unison, they nodded, smiling. Then they both picked up the pace.

There was something about that exchange that shot a little bit of panic into her step as she started walking again, speeding up to almost a jog. She tried to get Ross on the phone, but her goddamn gloves weren't letting her press the screen. She scrambled to get the gloves off as she tried to go a little faster because they were close enough to hear their footsteps. They were going faster too. 

"Come on," Suzy said as she tried to yank the gloves off. She pulled one off with her teeth and just spat it out on the ground, not even caring about the forty dollars she'd spent on them. There was a feeling in her gut that was driving her forward, and she didn't feel that bending down to pick up a glove was worthy enough to ignore that feeling. 

She ran through her contacts and found Ross, thank god. She pressed call just as one of the guys behind her said, "Hey, you dropped your glove."

Her phone was to her ear, and she stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk, hoping with everything that both of them could hear that the phone was ringing, and that he was going to pick up. And despite her best instincts, she turned around, heart in her throat.

They were much taller than when they seemed to be when they were farther away. They were definitely taller than she was, and they were standing next to each other like they were creating a wall. One of them had brown hair, the other had black. Both were white. It was too dark to see their eyes. No tattoos. They were wearing jackets, how could she see...?

The brown haired guy was holding her glove out to her like he was holding a gun to her. And that little self satisfied smirk on his face said that he knew this; he had her held hostage now. What could she say? That he could keep it? I don't need it?

She tried this. "I don't need it," Suzy said, in a voice that came out much smaller than she meant it to. She started to turn around just as Ross' voicemail recording came on. She internally cursed him. You fucking asshole, really? Tonight of all nights?

"But it's a nice glove, don't you want it?" asked the guy. 

"Yeah, no, I'm on my way home, I just wanted to call and let you know," Suzy said into the phone as convincingly as she could. She purposely made eye contact with the guy holding her glove. He was still holding it as an offering. "I'm five minutes away. Don't worry. I love you too. Bye." She stuffed the phone inside her pocket.

"You have one glove on one hand, just take the other one before you waste your money," the black haired guy said. He nudged his friend. "Right James?"

James nodded, and held out the glove even farther. "Yeah David, right. Here."

Just one car. Could just one car pass by and see this and call someone? Could _she_ call someone? She knew she could, but she was frozen. 

James walked towards her, and she wanted to back away, but all she did was stand there while James came forward, and put the glove in her jacket pocket. Suzy could smell the whiskey on his breath. She swallowed hard. Her throat was dry.

"Thanks," she said stiffly.

"No problem,” he replied.

And they both stood like that, just, watching each other, their breaths curling into the air like the cigarettes Suzy was sure he smoked. His jacket stunk of it.

"Well, have a good night," Suzy managed to get out. She turned around and shoved her hands in her pockets, ready to sprint home if she had to, and she was half a step away when she felt James grab her wrist too tight to be friendly. 

He yanked her towards him and grabbed the back of her head, trying to force her to kiss him. She could already see his tongue, moving like a snake, and she just felt a surge of disgust through her, and she channeled it all into her knee as she shoved it into the fucker's crotch.

"Fuck off!" she had yelled as she did so. James went down, and off Suzy went, but his buddy David was not far behind, and he had longer strides than she did and he was on her in seconds. 

She felt her neck being wrapped around by his arm, and she was jerked back into his grip. It was tight enough to make her gasp for air, but all Dave did was punch her in the side of her ribs. Suzy cried out, and suddenly she was being slapped in the face by James, grabbed roughly by his hand as he leaned in close, inches from her. His eyes were brown.

"What a bitch," he said with venom. "We do something _nice_ for you, and that's how you repay us?"

"I don't owe you for _anything,"_ Suzy spat, surprisingly fierce. 

James just snickered. "Oh? Is that what you tell your boyfriend when he tries to fuck you?"

She struggled against David's grip, to no use. So she tried to bite his arm, but he had a leather jacket on, so all that did was earn laughs from both of them. 

"Really? That's all you got?" James asked. 

Suzy shook her head and reached behind her. She raked her nails as hard as she could against what she thought was David's face. The string of curses followed by her release gave her the second she needed to suck in a gulp of air and run forward as fast as her legs would carry her. She could hear them pursuing her. It didn't even occur to her to call the police. All she could think of was getting out of her, and getting home, and never coming this way home again.

For about ten seconds, which might as well have been a year, Suzy was running before they caught up with her again. Hands planted on her back and shoved her forward, and she landed on the sidewalk with a hard _thud._ Her hands caught her, with an ugly scrape that was already bleeding when James got on top of her. He turned her over, and she could see David standing above him, and he was no longer smiling, because there were three very visible, bleeding nail marks on his right cheek. For just a second, she felt more satisfied than scared. 

That ended quickly enough when James reeled back his fist and punched her. She could've sworn that she saw a camera flash, and then she felt blood rolling down the side of her face out of her nose, and she couldn't move. 

James forced Suzy's mouth open--she couldn't bring herself to fight back--and he shoved the glove in her mouth far enough to make her have to turn and cough it out. James leaned down next to her ear.

"You forgot your glove," he hissed. 

And then he stood up, wiped the dust off his jacket, high-fived David, and left.

They just...fucking left. 

Part of her knew she should be glad. But she wasn't. 

Suzy lied there on the sidewalk, letting her nose bleed, letting her cheek swell up. She counted the seconds with the pulsing throbs of her nose and ribs. She couldn't gather the strength to move, because she was afraid that if she did, they'd come back.

Her phone rang. With shaking hands, she reached into her pocket and looked at who was calling her. It took great effort to press the green button.

"Suzy?" asked Ross. And despite her shallow breathing, she let out a sigh of relief. "Are you okay? I got your voicemail."

Suzy didn't answer. She wanted to talk, but words wouldn't come.

"Suzy?"

Slowly, tears welled up. She heard the jingle of Ross' keys on the other line.

"Where are you at? Did you like, drink? Are you lost?"

Suzy shook her head. She was crying now. 

"I'm on...the shortcut..." she choked out between breaths. She didn't even sound the same.

"What happened?" Ross asked. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Please come get me."

"Okay, alright. I'll be there in two minutes. I'll be right there."

Something made her panic. "Don't hang up."

"O-okay. I won't. I'll be here the whole time. I'm coming." She heard Ross starting his car.

"Thanks." Suzy let her arm fall to her side, holding the phone. His muffled questions were left unanswered. While she waited, tiny drops of rain fell on her, and it felt like acid against her skin. Every drop felt like a finger letting itself touch her. Why were they all giving themselves permission to touch her? She didn't belong to them. She didn't even feel like she belonged to herself at this point.

The weight of the wait weighed on her, and she couldn't even look at the sky anymore. So she let her head fall to the side, where her eyes landed on her left hand, still gloved.

She used her last effort to pull it off like peeling away her shame before drifting off into a restless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> So what did ya think? I know it's kinda dark. Comments? Crit? Praise? Lemme know!!!


End file.
